Top3EyeIssuesin Parkinson’sDisease
RANI BANIK, M.D.
TOP 3 EYE ISSUES IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Parkinson'sdisease(PD)isacomplexneurologicaldisorderthatcanaffectnotonly motorfunction,butalsovariousaspectsofvisionthatmayoftenbeoverlooked In thisguide,RaniBanik,M.D.,America’sIntegrativeNeuro-Ophthalmologist,will explorethe3mostcommonwaysinwhichParkinson'sdiseasecanimpacta person 'svisionandthusaffectoverallqualityoflife.
Joinusonthisjourneyasshesharesvaluableinsightsintothevisualchallenges facedbyindividualslivingwithParkinson'sdisease,andlearnsimplestrategiesby whichtheseissuescanbemanaged
PARKINSON’S VISION ISSUE #1 DRY EYE
Dryeyeisperhapsthemostcommoneyeconditionthatcansignificantlyimpacts individualswithParkinson'sdisease.
Dryeyeoccurswhenthereisinsufficienttearproductionorpoortearquality, leadingtopersistentdrynessanddiscomfortintheeyes.Symptomsmayincludea sensationofgrittinessoraforeignbodyintheeye,alongwithredness,itching,and burning Alongwithdryeyecomesblurryvision,whichisoftenintermittentand variable.Dryeyecanmakeeverydaytaskssuchasreadinganddrivingdifficult.
Onexamination,reducedtearproductionandtearfilminstabilityareoften observedinindividualswithdryeye.
Managementofdryeyeinvolvesusingartificialtearsandlubricatingeyedropsto alleviatedryness Thesedropsneedtobeusedatleast3-4timesaday,andin somecases,evenmorefrequently,dependingontheseverityofthedryeye symptoms.Youcanfindalistedoftrustedlubricatingdropsandointmentsfordry eye,aswellasotherproductsthatmaybehelpfulHERE
WarmcompresseswithBruderMoistHeatCompressescanhelpmanagedryeye byhelpingtopromotehealthyoilsecretionbytheeyelidglands Compressescan alsobesoothing.reducinginflammationandimprovingeyelidhygiene.Increasing dietaryomega3s,aswellassupplementationwiththeomegafattyacids3,6,and 7hasbeenshowntohelpdryeye
Insomecases,prescriptionmedicationsmaybenecessarytocontrolmoresevere dryeyesymptoms
PARKINSON’S VISION ISSUE #2 BLEPHARITIS
Blepharitisisanothercommoneyeconditionthatisoftenseeninpatientswith Parkinson'sdisease.Blepharitisistheinflammationoftheeyelidmargins,often presentingwithsimilarsymptomsofirritationandredness Blepharitiscomesin2 forms-anteriorandposterior.
Dandruff-likematerialorscaly,whitedepositsalongthelashlinecanbeseenwith anteriorblepharitis(photoontheleft).Thisformiscommonlyassociatedwithan eyelidmiteinfestationcalledDemodex.
Posteriorblepharitis,ontheotherhand,isassociatedwithblockageand inflammationoftheeyelidglands(a.k.a.meibomianglands)thatsecreteoilsthat helpmakeupthetearfilm Whitish-yellowtoothpaste-likesecretionsareoften foundcloggingtheeyelidglands(photoonrightabove).Red,inflamedeyelid marginscanbeseeninposteriorblepharitis,whichmayalsoleadtostyesoreyelid infections.
ManagementofblepharitisinvolvesusingwarmcompressessuchastheBruder MoistHeatCompresstohelpreduceinflammationandimproveeyelidhygiene. Eyelidscrubsorcleansingwipescanbeveryusefultocleanoffdebrisonthe lashes.Increasingdietaryomega3saswellasomegasupplementationhasbeen showntohelpposteriorblepharitisknownasmeibomianglanddysfunction.
Inmoreseverecasesofblepharitis,in-officeproceduressuchasLipiFloworIntense Pulsed-LightLaser(IPL)maybeemployed. Prescriptionmedicationsmayalsobe necessary
*Imagescourtesyofhttps://wwwmoyeseyecom/about-belpharitis
PARKINSON’S VISION ISSUE #3
DOUBLE VISION
Doublevision,ordiplopia,isafrequentvisual complaintinParkinson'sdisease,oftenresulting fromconvergenceinsufficiency.
Convergenceinsufficiencyoccurswhentheeyes struggletoworktogetherwhilefocusingonclose objects,suchasduringreadingordetailedtasks. Thisleadstosymptomslikedoublevision, eyestrain,headaches,anddifficultyconcentrating onneartasks.
Duringaneyeexamination,convergenceinsufficiencyisidentifiedbya reducedabilitytoconvergetheeyesproperlyandimpairedcoordination betweeneyemovements.Oftentimes,oneeyeisnotedtodriftoutwardswhile reading(a.k.a.exotropia),givingrisetodoublevision,asnotedinthephoto below.
Managementoptionsfordoublevisionincludeeyeexercisescalledpencil push-ups,aimedatimprovingeyecoordinationandstrength.Tolearnmore abouteyeexercises,clickHERE
Correctiveeyeglasseswithprismscanalsobeprescribedtohelpalignthe visualfieldsandreducedoublevision Additionally,adjustingreadinghabits bytakingfrequentbreaksandusingadequatelightingcanalleviate symptoms.
Finally,ifallelseisnoteffective,strabismussurgerycanbeperformedto realigntheeyesandeliminatethedoublevision.
*Imagescourtesyof: https://wwwnvcofnycom/eye-examination/double-vision-why-do-it-occur/ https://wwwreviewofophthalmologycom/article/how-to-take-on-strabismus-in-adults
SUMMARY & YOUR NEXT STEPS
Congratulations!Byperusingthisshortguide,youhavenowlearnedthetop3eyeissues thatareoftenseeninpatientswithParkinson’sDisease Myhopeisthatyounow understandwhatmayunderliethesecommoneyesymptoms.Also,youarenow equippedwiththeknowledgenecessarytomanageconditionslikedryeye,blepharitis, anddoublevisionfromconvergenceinsufficiencywitheaseandconfidence
**Pleasenotethattherearemanyothervisualsymptomsthatmaydevelopwith Parkinson’sdisease,suchasdifficultieswithcolorvision,lossofcontrast,eyelidandfacial spasms,andvisualhallucinations.Thesesymptomsaremorerare,andbeyondthe scopeofthisshortguide
Ifyouwouldlikepersonalizedeyecareforanyoftheseissuesusingthebestoftraditional medicalandsurgicalapproachescombinedwithintegrativestrategies,pleaseconsider makinganappointmentbycallingmyofficeat646-820-2074
YourNextSteps
Youalsomaybeinterestedinfindingouthowhealthyyoureyesareatthismomentin time.Tohelppeoplelikeyougetabetterunderstandingoftheirvisionhealth,Icreateda freeonlinetoolcalled“TheEye-QTest™”
Investafewminutesofyourtimetotakethissimpleonlinetest,andyou’lldiscoverwhere youreyesstandrightnowintermsoftheirhealthandwhetheryouareatlow,medium,or highriskforvisionissuesgoingforward.
Iwillthensharemoreeyehealthtipswithyouforkeepingyoureyeshealthy.Toget startedandtaketheEye-QTest™,clickHERE
Mydesireforyouisthatyouwillbeabletokeepdoingallthethingsyouloveand continueseeingthefacesofallthepeopleyoulovewithclearandvibrantvision throughouttheyearsanddecadesahead
Wishingyouallthebest,
MEET DR. RANI BANIK
Dr Rani(Rudrani)Banikisaboard-certifiedophthalmologist, fellowship-trainedneuro-ophthalmologist,andcertified functionalmedicinepractitioner
Dr.Banikoffersthebesttraditionalmanagementofophthalmic diseasecombinedwithanintegrativeapproach Hertreatment protocolspromoteeyeandbrainhealthbasedonnutrition, botanicals,lifestylemodification,movement,essentialoils,and supplements
Dr BanikisthefounderofEnVisionHealth,aprivatepracticein NewYorkCity Dr BanikisanAssociateProfessorof OphthalmologyatMountSinai’sIcahnSchoolofMedicine, wheresheisinvolvedinclinicaltrialsresearchandteaching
Shehasauthorednumerousarticlesandhaspresentedat nationalandinternationalmeetings SheisaCastleConnolly TopDoctorandNewYorkMagazineBestDoctor
Dr.Banik'smissionistoeducatethepublicandhercolleaguesabouteye-smartnutritionandlifestyle choicestopreventvisionlossandachievebetteroverallhealthandqualityoflife.
Dr Banikisoftenfeaturedasaneyehealthexpertinthemedia;shehasbeeninterviewedbytheNew YorkTimes,GoodMorningAmerica,TODAYShowOnline,CBS,NBC,ABC,andmanyothertelevisionand radioprograms.Shehasbeenanexpertguestonover80podcasts.
Dr Banik'sbest-sellingbookonocularnutrition,"BeyondCarrots-BestFoodsforEyeHealthAtoZ,"is availablenowonAmazoninprintandKindle Hersecondbook,"BeyondLeafyGreens-7Integrative StrategiestoPreventVisionLossfromMacularDegeneration,"willbereleasedinearly2024.
BesuretoconnectwithDr BanikonsocialmediaviaherFacebookgroup,EnVisionHealth,oron Instagramat@drranibanikforvaluabletipsonprotectingandpreservingyourvision
